


i want your midnights

by bellawritess



Series: lashton prompts [21]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Rating for Language, Shenanigans, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27708626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellawritess/pseuds/bellawritess
Summary: Luke maintains that truth or dare is a dumb game. Michael says he’s just a buzzkill, which might be true, but it doesn’t mean Luke iswrong.Truth or dare is dumb.This is, unfortunately, the unpopular opinion of the people at this New Year’s party, so here they are anyway, in a circle on the floor, playing it.
Relationships: Jack Barakat/Alex Gaskarth, Luke Hemmings/Ashton Irwin, Michael Clifford/Calum Hood
Series: lashton prompts [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026498
Kudos: 13





	i want your midnights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HeyHeyArnold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyHeyArnold/gifts).



> **prompt:** new year's kiss + kiss on a dare
> 
> [tumblr link!](https://clumsyclifford.tumblr.com/post/632212857527926784/bella-that-kiss-prompt-list-is-so-cute-will-you)
> 
> title from new year's day by taylor swift <3

Luke maintains that truth or dare is a dumb game. Michael says he’s just a buzzkill, which might be true, but it doesn’t mean Luke is _wrong_. Truth or dare is dumb.

This is, unfortunately, the unpopular opinion of the people at this New Year’s party, so here they are anyway, in a circle on the floor, playing it.

“Okay, Calum,” Jack says, smirking at Calum. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Calum says immediately. Luke rolls his eyes. Calum and Michael are trying to, like, out-dare each other, which is actually the only thing Luke can think of that is conceptually dumber than truth or dare as a game. Jack and Alex _know_ that, and they’re taking advantage of it by choosing Calum and Michael whenever they can. If Luke weren’t so opposed to truth or dare, he’d be deeply amused.

Okay, he’s deeply amused anyway. It had been fucking funny watching Michael try to sing “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” with “Mambo No. 5” blasting in headphones (dare courtesy of Alex’s weird, twisted, brilliant, evil mind, of course).

“Hm,” Jack hums, and strokes at his chin as if there’s anything more than stubble there. A moment later, his eyes light up. “Oh, I have a good one. Okay, I dare you to eat a spoonful of peanut butter and then make out with Michael.” 

“Gross, don’t drag me into your nasty dares!” Michael protests, but Calum already has his determined face on.

“Babe,” he says seriously. “Michael. I need to do it. I have to.”

Michael groans loudly. “Fuck, fine. But you’re getting the peanut butter.” Calum immediately leaps to his feet.

“Back in a sec!” he calls out, and then he’s racing up the stairs by twos, footsteps pounding against the carpet.

Jack cackles. “I’ve always wanted to use that one.”

“Is that from experience?” Ashton asks from Luke’s right. “You’ve done that, haven’t you?”

Jack and Alex exchange a look, and then, in the most rom-com move Luke’s ever seen them do, they shrug in unison.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Alex says airily. 

Rian snorts from his spot opposite the circle. “That’s such bullshit. You _exclusively_ kiss and tell.”

“I do not,” Alex counters. He grins. “I kiss and _benevolently share_ , bitch. You love to hear about our adventures in shitty kissing ideas.”

“Nobody loves to, actually,” Zack puts in. Rian raises his hand, seconding the comment.

“This is making me regret agreeing to it,” Michael says. Luke laughs. That’s what he gets for trying to do the most dares.

Calum returns them, a jar of peanut butter in one hand and a spoon in the other. He looks overly excited for a dare this appalling, and as he reclaims his seat in the circle he twists the top off the peanut butter and digs a spoonful out. “Ready?” he asks Michael, who looks askance at him.

“As I’ll ever be,” he says defeatedly. “So, no, but go on.”

Calum grins and puts the spoon in his mouth, then pulls it out, mostly empty, and leans in to kiss Michael.

“Oh, gross,” Luke says, turning to look away. Ashton glances over at him and chuckles.

“Not for the faint of heart,” he says, and Luke nods vehemently. He chances another look — it’s like a car crash in that way, grotesquely appealing to watch — and to his utter dismay, Michael doesn’t look put off at all. Actually, they both seem to be enjoying it.

“ _Gross_ ,” Luke says emphatically. “That’s disgusting.”

“Maybe it’s not,” Ashton says thoughtfully. “You’ve never tried it, you don’t know.”

 _If I did it with you, it wouldn’t be so bad, I expect,_ Luke thinks, and banishes the thought immediately. First of all, that kind of thought is unproductive; fancying Ashton has gotten him nowhere thus far and it’s not about to start. And more importantly, under no circumstance could making out while eating peanut butter be _good_.

He pulls a horrified face. “Have _you_?” 

“Maybe,” Ashton says nonchalantly. Then he grins. “No, I’m kidding, of course not. You’ve gotta be sick and dirty to come up with that idea.”

“That we are!” Jack says cheerfully, ruffling Alex’s hair. It’s distressing how Luke can know, objectively, that Jack and Alex are two of the most perverse people he’s ever met, and yet still find himself endeared by their cuteness. There’s probably a magic spell involved in that.

“Mostly Jack,” Alex says. “I’m just the guinea pig.”

“Aw, you’re not giving yourself enough credit,” Rian says, as if he’s being sympathetic. “You’re just as sick and dirty as Jack, don’t you worry.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Alex says, blowing an exaggerated kiss to Rian. Jack pretends to snatch it out of midair. Luke finally returns his gaze to Calum and Michael just in time to see them part, both smacking their lips excessively.

“Ooh, my mouth feels weird,” Michael declares, and Calum nods in agreement. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand.

“Cool new trick,” he tells Jack. “Good to know.”

“You are _welcome_ ,” Jack says.

“You’re all fucked up,” Rian announces. Ashton laughs. The sound sends Luke’s stomach all aflutter.

“Okay, my turn,” Calum says, once he’s sufficiently swallowed the peanut butter. “Who’s not gone?” He scans the circle. “Oh — Ashton! Truth or dare?”

Ashton purses his lips. “Dare,” he finally says, cautiously, “although I’m sure I’ll regret it.”

Calum cocks his head. “Let me confer with my associate,” he says, holding up a finger. “One second. Make background noise.” He turns to Michael.

Immediately everyone is clamoring to be the loudest, even Luke, who launches into a really awful rendition of “Feeling This.” Ashton hears him and joins in, both of them screeching the song as loud as they can go, with Zack contributing by chiming in on _I’m feeling this!_ every time it comes up.

“Okay, okay, enough!” Calum shouts, just as they reach the chorus. Everyone falls silent, but Ashton nudges Luke and gives him a small grin, and Luke returns it, cursing the butterflies in his gut for all the racket they’re making.

“It has come to the attention of the panel,” Michael begins, and Luke snorts, “that it is, in fact, five minutes to midnight.” A small outbreak of gasps from the circle, some authentic, some, specifically Rian’s, sarcastic. 

“I thought Calum was giving me this dare,” Ashton says.

Calum glares at him. “I _am_ ,” he says. “Ashton, I dare you to pick someone here to kiss at midnight.”

“Not me,” Jack says immediately. “No offense, Ash, but I’m taken.”

“Yeah, ditto,” Alex says. “I mean, if you _really_ want, I’m sure Jack and I can work it out, but —”

“Nope,” Ashton says dryly. “Sorry to disappoint, but I actually have no interest in kissing either of you for any reason at all.”

“I think that was mean,” Jack says under his breath to Alex, and Alex just kisses his cheek.

Ashton props his chin in his hand. “Well, there’s a lot to consider here,” he says pensively. Luke’s heart is beating too loud. Ashton won’t pick him when there’s — well, when there’s the _whole circle_ to choose from, and even ignoring those already spoken for, that leaves Rian and Zack, both of whom would be better choices than Luke. “I mean, it’s not gonna be either of you,” to Jack and Alex, “or you,” to Calum and Michael, “so I guess it’s either Rian, Zack, or Luke.”

Luke tries to fight the blush rising on his cheeks. He keeps his mouth shut, swallowing the many cries of _me, you can kiss me at midnight!_ building up under his tongue. Even if he says it as a joke, it’ll come across desperate, and when Ashton inevitably chooses Rian, Luke will look that much more foolish.

“I’m okay with it,” Rian says, shrugging. “I mean, no pressure, but I don’t really care.”

“Same,” Zack says. Ashton hums, then turns bodily to Luke.

“What about you?”

Luke stares. “What about me?”

“Are you okay with it?”

“With…kissing you at midnight?”

Ashton’s lips quirk up. “Yes, Luke, that’s what we’re discussing.”

Luke’s mouth feels dry. “Uh, yeah. Whatever you want.” Fuck, even that sounds far too inclined. 

Ashton surveys the circle again, making thoughtful hums to himself as if deep in thought, gaze flitting between Luke, Rian, and Zack, until Calum, exasperated, says, “Ash, it’s two minutes to midnight.”

“Fine,” Ashton says. He turns again to Luke. “Kiss me at midnight?”

Luke’s heart leaps into his throat. “Seriously?” Then, “Um, I mean, yeah, sure.”

Ashton grins. “Cool.” And then he turns back to the circle. “Should I bother asking someone? Are we gonna watch the ball drop?”

“Not if you’re smooching this one,” Alex says, jerking a thumb at Luke. Luke makes a face at him to mask the way his insides are completely flipping over themselves. _It’s not the Olympics_ , he tries to tell them, but they aren’t listening.

“Yes,” Zack says, more helpfully. He stands up. “Let me put it on.” Gesturing at them, he adds, “Talk amongst yourselves.”

“You don’t decide when we talk!” Jack says, as Zack goes to connect his laptop to the TV and set up the stream. Zack flips him off behind his back.

Everyone breaks off into quiet conversation, but Luke’s buzzing. Ashton elbows him gently. “You okay?”

Luke jolts and tries to laugh it off. Hopefully it doesn’t sound as nervous as it feels. “Good, yeah,” he says. “I’ve never actually kissed anyone on New Year’s, so. First time for everything.”

Ashton smiles warmly at him, and Luke feels it in his fingers and toes. “Well,” he says smoothly, “best make it good, then. No pressure on me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’ll be good no matter what,” Luke says, and immediately decides he should be banned from speaking forever. _No matter what?_ Could he possibly sound more infatuated?

Ashton tilts his head. “No matter what?” he says. “Your expectations aren’t very high.”

“I just —” Luke bites his lip. He’s backed himself into a corner now. Fucking hell. “Um, I meant — it’s —”

“Luke, relax,” Ashton says, patting his knee twice. “I’m teasing.” With this, he pushes himself to his feet, then holds out a hand for Luke. Luke takes it and allows himself to be pulled upright as well. The look in Ashton’s eye is kind, and Luke expects to see the teasing Ashton had mentioned, but it’s absent. “If it would make you feel better, we don’t have to do it. It’s just a dare.”

“No, I want to,” Luke says, solidifying his decision that he should never be allowed to talk ever. Ashton raises an eyebrow and Luke feels himself blushing scarlet. “I mean…”

“You can want to,” Ashton says. “Do you want to?”

Luke swallows. “I don’t — that’s not a fair question.”

“Fine,” Ashton says. “I take it back. But in case you were wondering, _I_ want to.” 

Luke stares at him. “What?”

“Kiss you,” Ashton clarifies. “At midnight, and otherwise. In general.”

“Ten seconds!” Calum shouts, and the entire room explodes with the sound of the countdown.

“Oh,” Luke breathes. “That’s — oh. In that case, I do want to.”

“Eight!”

Ashton smiles. “Good,” he says happily. “You had me worried a second.”

“Six!”

“Sorry,” Luke says.

“Don’t let an apology be your last words of the year,” Ashton says.

“Four!”

“Okay,” Luke says quickly. “I want to kiss you. Final words.”

Ashton’s smile grows wider. “I want to kiss you too. So much.”

“Two! One! Happy New Year!” 

Cheers erupt throughout the room, and Luke and Ashton both lean in, captured in a kiss that’s sweeter than any Luke’s ever had and warm from the spot they connect all the way through Luke’s skin, filling his brain with static, nothing but Ashton on a loop.

When they break apart, Ashton brushes their noses together. “First of many, I hope,” he says, and Luke beams.

Maybe there’s something to be said for truth or dare, actually.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading <3 i'm on tumblr [@clumsyclifford](http://clumsyclifford.tumblr.com/) so come say hey!


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